Egg Yolks As Dangerous As Cigarettes?

A new study comparing eating egg yolks to smoking has raised a lot of concerns. Study authors warn that eating egg yolks thickens your artery walls almost as severely as cigarette smoking, which can cause heart problems. But not all dietitians agree with the findings.

Vicki Buum enjoys her eggs to say the least. The Sioux Falls woman peels around five to seven eggs a week to eat on her salads.

"Because I have a salad for lunch every day, I would like to have a protein source. The protein source I choose is an egg," Buum said.

Buum makes it a point to eat healthy. But the new study warning that egg yolks could be as dangerous as smoking to your heart health is raising a lot of questions.

"We have people ask all the time whether they should limit eggs now. 'Is the recommendation changing,' and we tell them, 'No,'" Avera Heart Hospital Dietitian Mary Beth Russell said.

Mary Beth Russell works as a registered dietitian at Avera Heart Hospital specializing in nutrition for heart health. She says despite the study, she'll continue to recommend that most of her patients eat eggs.

"We certainly include them as part of our Mediterranean approach to heart health. And even in the study they talked about how a Mediterranean diet is really the best diet for heart disease," Russell said.

While an egg yolk may increase your bad cholesterol level, it also can increase your good cholesterol.